April 2025

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has launched a contest to name its costumed mascot, a 6-foot-plus plush black panther that usually appears Winnie-the-Pooh style (no bottoms).

The university is accepting nominations for names through May 4. A committee will select and announce six finalists on National Mascot Day, June 17. Then a public vote will decide the big cat’s cognomen, which will be announced as part of Alumni and Family Weekend festivities in September.

The contest came about after a mascot gathering for all five Pitt campuses in support of Pitt Day of Giving. Every other campus’s athletic ambassador had a name, except for Pitt-Bradford’s panther, which was just The Panther. That felt a bit like telling the vet your cat’s name is “Kitty.”

If you’ve got a name in mind, submit it at upb.pitt.edu/name-the-panther. While it’s never had a name, Pitt-Bradford’s mascot has always been a panther.

In an unprecedented show of unity and shared mission, two Bradford churches are swapping buildings this spring — not out of necessity, but out of calling.

Open Arms Community Church and First Baptist Church of Bradford will exchange church buildings in a move that both congregations believe is divinely inspired and strategically aligned with their respective visions for ministry. The change, first announced in May of 2024, becomes official on Palm Sunday, April 13, when both churches will hold their first services in their new locations.

Open Arms will begin worshiping at 71 Congress Street, the historic downtown church that has been home to First Baptist for generations. First Baptist will relocate to 1289 East Main Street, where Open Arms has held services since its early years of rapid growth.

“This isn’t just about buildings,” said Pastor Zoe Hatcher of Open Arms. “Being among the people in the downtown area of Bradford is the most exciting part of this move. We love our city and believe that God has a plan for it. As a ministry, we want to place ourselves in the middle of God’s will, which for us is to reach those to whom He has sent us.”

A senior at Port Allegany High School, Raelin Meacham, earned first chair 1^st Clarinet and highest clarinet score overall at the PMEA Region II Band Festival to win a spot in the PMEA All-State Concert Band.  Raelin will travel to the Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, PA April 9-12, 2025.  The ensemble will be under the direction of Jason Noble, conductor of the Columbia University Wind Ensemble.  A public concert will take place at the convention center on Saturday, April 12 at 2:00 PM.  Tickets can be purchased through pmea.org.  Raelin was also selected to attend the PMEA All-State Concert Band in 2024.  

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) reminds anglers that the statewide Opening Day of Trout Season is this Saturday, April 5!  Anglers may begin fishing at 8 a.m.

Throughout the 2025 season, the PFBC will stock approximately 3.2 million adult trout in 691 streams and 130 lakes open to public angling.  These figures, which are consistent with the number of trout stocked over the past decade, include approximately 2.4 million Rainbow Trout; 693,000 Brown Trout; and 125,000 Brook Trout.  As with past practice, the average size of the trout produced for stocking is 11 inches in length with an average weight of .58 pounds.

Unleash your productivity and take control of your data! Do you manage large sets of numbers, names, dates, or other pieces of information?

If so, then you need to know how to create worksheets to manage, store, organize, and even analyze this information. Excel, Microsoft’s powerful spreadsheet software, is the most widely used program for these tasks, and most workplaces want new employees to have a basic understanding of Microsoft Excel.

The Port Allegany High School will present The Addams Family School Edition on Friday, April 4 and Saturday April 5 at Port Allegany High School Auditorium.   Show time is 7 p.m.  The book is by  Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.  Music and lyrics are  by Andrew Lipa.  Premium Reserved Adults ($10) Students and Seniors ($8); Reserved Adults ($8) and Student/Seniors ($6).

Local organizations have received grants from four donor-designated funds at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, a total of $13,955.

The donors who established these four funds – Luella Potter Endowment Fund, Kay and Oliver Williams/Rushford Endowment Fund, Jim and Gail Olson Mercy Flight Fund, The Rev. Leo J. Gallina Endowment Fund for St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church – designated organizations that matter to them to receive annual support from their funds.

The Kay and Oliver Williams/Rushford Endowment Fund makes possible annual grants to eight organizations that support the identity and long history of the Rushford community.

Grants made in March include:

Award-winning musician coming April 7

Potter County Creative Council (PC3) presents a live performance by award-winning musician Hubby Jenkins at 7 pm on Monday, April 7, in the lodge at Denton Hill State Park. Local musicians Anne Acker and Mike Aucott will open Monday’s show with a casual set at 6 pm.

Jenkins will first appear for a matinee at Northern Potter School as part of PC3’s ongoing mission to expose students to professional musicians and artisans.

As part of its commitment to Potter County agriculture, PC3 has arranged for food vendors Fiammata Pizza and Frosty Hollow Bed and Breakfast to be set up, offering menu items with locally produced ingredients such as gourmet mushrooms, micro-greens, cheeses and meats.

A talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, Jenkins revels in sharing his love and knowledge of old-time American music. He has followed the thread of African American history through its traditional music forms and now shares it during dynamic solo performances and engaging workshops.

Whether accompanied by banjo or steel-string guitar, each selection is introduced with narrative that wends its way through country blues, ragtime, Americana and traditional jazz. Jenkins has performed around the world, earning himself both Grammy and Americana award nominations. He is no stranger to Potter County, having appeared at Austin Dam Show in 2011.

McKean County is seeking qualified and highly motivated applicants to perform the duties of Court Monitor for The Court of Common Pleas. The purpose of this position is to create verbatim transcripts of Court proceedings, ensuring a complete, accurate, and secure legal record.

The essential functions of the position include but are not limited to the following:

1.  Record court proceedings using a court monitoring system and recording equipment.

2.  Transcribe recordings in a timely fashion.

3.  Maintain recording equipment, including saving court proceedings from hard drive to CDs/ thumb drives and log notes.

4.  Index, file and maintain court recordings, tape cassette recordings, and exhibits.

5.  Maintain the printer, supplies of CDs, microphone batteries, tapes, and paper.

6.  Answer the telephone and direct calls as appropriate.

7.  Perform other duties as required for the successful operation of the department.

The qualifications of the position include the following:

Education:  Associates Degree or comparable office experience.

Experience:  1-2 years experience in court related field preferred but not required.

Other:  Sharp listening skills, knowledge of legal terminology, grammar, vocabulary and punctuation.  Ability to multi-task and excellent organization skills.

HOW TO APPLY:

Qualified candidates should apply by submitting a resume and McKean County job application to Patricia Brown, Court Administrator, at PABrown@mckeancountypa.gov.

Applications are available in the Human Resources Department at the Courthouse or at www.mckeancountypa.gov.

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations for the interview due to a disability, please advise the interviewer of the accommodations you require well in advance of the scheduled date. 

McKEAN COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY & AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER.